"Do you always avoid people?" Aarav asked one day as they sat under a tree.
Riya didn't look at him. "I don't avoid people. I just don't need them."
Aarav smiled slightly. "Everyone needs someone."
"Not me," she replied firmly.
But her voice lacked its usual certainty.
Because deep inside, something had already begun to change.
She had started noticing him.
The way he waited for her after class.
The way he remembered small things about her.
The way he never forced her to speak—but never left her alone either.
It was confusing.
Uncomfortable.
And strangely… comforting.
One evening, as they walked together, Aarav said, "You know, you're not as cold as you pretend to be."
Riya stopped walking.
"I'm not pretending," she said.
"You are," Aarav replied gently. "You just don't let people see the real you."
Riya looked at him, slightly shaken.
"No one needs to see the real me," she said quietly.
"I do," Aarav said.
Those words stayed with her longer than she expected.
That night, Riya couldn't focus on anything.
Her thoughts kept returning to him.
Why did his words affect her so much?
Why did she care?
"This is exactly why I stay away," she told herself.
Feelings complicated everything.
Feelings made you vulnerable.
And vulnerability led to pain.
She had seen it before.
She wouldn't let it happen again.